Traction-engine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

3 J. E. CLARK. TRACTION ENGINE.

No. 430,333. Peitented June 24, 1390.

WIT/M3353.-

Cal/2 96M I ATTORNEY.

(No Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. ROLARK. TRACTION: ENGINE.

No. 430,333. P3entedaune*z4, 1390.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHNSON E. CLARK, OF MASSILLON, OHIO.

TRACTION-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,833, dated June 24, 1890.

Application filed April '7, 1890- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHNSON E. CLARK,-a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Massillon, county of Stark, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Traction-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in t-raction-engines; and it consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter, described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective of a portion of a traction-engine, illustrating my invention; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 8, a plan View of front axle and guiding mechanism; Fig. 4, a side elevation of front axle and a sectional view of wheel-hub, axle-box, central axle'support, and hinge by which the axle is secured to the bottom of the boiler. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of central axle-support and hinge to boiler and transverse section of axle-frame and axle; Fig. 6, a supporting-frame for the sand-band; Fig. '7, a portion of detail hereinafter described, and Fig. 8 a journal-box.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

As my invention is alike applicable to many of the traction-engines now in use, I Will proceed with a description thereof, referring to the other parts of the machine as conjunctional thereto.

The particular feature to which I will first call attention is the construction of the front axle-frame, the manner of securing the axles thereto, and devices for operating them therein to guide or turn the machine, the construction of the guidewheels, and the devices for throwing the inner ends of the axles forward and back to turn the wheels to move in the desired direction.

A represents the boiler, which is cut away in Fig. l to show the parts more fully. B

and 1-3 represent a beam and a truss forming the axle-supporting frame. The end portions of said beam and truss having end perforations a is pivotally secured to the axle-box O by the upward and downward projected tru 11- Serial No. 346,898. (No model.)

nions a, as shownin Fig. 4. Said box may be made in one piece or in two parts and bolted together, as shown in Fig. 8. At the central portion of. said axle-fran1e is provided and thereto secured a frame-piece D, in the side portionsof which are provided curved race Ways a, that serve as a support and guide for the roller (0 on the inner end of the axles E. The said axle is provided with a j ournaled portion o adapted to rotate in the journalbox 0, and on its outer end portion is mounted the supporting and guide wheel F. Between the journal a and the inner end of the axle are provided collars a between which is placed a yoke a to which are pivotally secured the prongs of of connecting-rod G. The rear end of the rod G is secured in a gimbal-joint H. (Shownin Fig. 7.) The end of the rod, being threaded, is passed through the block o having threaded nuts on either side thereof, by which the length of the rod may be adjusted. The block a is pivotally secured in the prongs a forming the joint, the shank a passed through one of the perforations Z) in the sway-bar J, said bar having at its central portion a pivotal connection at the lower end of. the drop-hanger K, and is provided with a series of perforations b, into which the shank a of the gimbal His placed to connect the rod G to said bar at a point nearer to or farther from the center to increase or decrease the leverage and the throw of the inner ends of the axles E.

The axle-frame hereinbefore described is secured to the bottom portion of the boiler by the hinge-plates 19, secured to the boiler, and the plate b secured to the beam B and the horizontal king-bolt h The brace-rods Z, extending back from the beamB to apoint central under the boiler, are united in a pivot end portion 3 that is loosely secured in the upper end portion of the hanger K, in which it is free to rock as the ends of the axleframe rise or fall, and by which the axleframe is secured in a position at right angle to the boiler and against lateral or horizontal vibration, and the ends thereof allowed to rise or fall vertically or transversely to the boiler. I

The hub L of the wheel F, which is rigidly secured to the axle E, is provided with an outwardly-projected flange portion 19 about horizontal with said hub to form a support for the outside spokes b and an inwardly and upwardly projected flange portion b to form a hood for the axle-box C and a support to the inner ends of the inside spokes b By this form of construction a wide base or support is formed for the inner ends of the spokes and a housing for the axle-box.

In the construction of the Wheel F it will be noticed that the tread b of the wheel is brought to a point about central to the journal of, thus bringing the weight of the machine or load directly over the supportingbearing a or box 0, relieving it from all liability to cramp or bind, and to remove the weight of the machine from the inner end of the shaft E, that it may be easily moved back and forthin the raceway a by the means employed for that purpose.

To protect the journal-box C from dirt and violence, a shield M is provided substantially of the form shown in the drawings. Said shield is secured in position (as shown in Figs.

1 and 4, the upper edge overlapping the upper inner edge of the flange b) by the supporting-frame N, said frame having asquare apertured portion d, said aperture adapted to a corresponding squared portion of the upper trunnion on the journal-box O, and arms (1' and d to support the side and the upper portion of the shield.

For the purpose of this application I have shown one method of operating the sway-bar, which consists in placing at the rear left-hand portion of the boiler a pendent lever P, pivotally secured on a stud d projected from the side of the boiler, said lever having at its upper end portion a segment (1 having notches d. The lower end of saidlever is connected to the sway-bar by the rod Q. To operate said pendent lever, a hand-lever R is provided, having its lower end 01 pivoted about the stud d, said lever provided with a spring-actuated bolt d to engage the notches d in the'seglnent (F, and a spring-actuated bolt 01 to engage a notched rack d secured to the side of the boiler, as shown in Fig. 1.

In operation, to turn the machine to run to the left, the lever R is drawn rearwardly to the end of the rack d throwing the lower end of the lever P forward, the left-hand end of the sway-bar and the inner end of the left side axle forward, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and the right hand end of the sway-bar and inner end of the right-hand axle back, as shown by the dotted lines. This movement of the axles, pivoting about the trunnions a at the end of the axle-frame, will turn the guide-wheels F, as shown by the dotted lines, oblique to a line drawn centrally and longitudinally through the machine, bywhich movement the wheels of the machine; If it is desired to turn the machine on a shorter circle, the lockingbolt 61 of the lever R in central notch (Z in the 5 will travel to the left.

segment 01 is drawn from the notch and the lever thrown forward to drop the bolt in the notch at the front end of the segment, when the lever is again thrown to the rear of the rack (Z by which movement the parts before referred to will be thrown more oblique to the body of the machine than is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, and to turn the machine to the right the lever-movements just men tioned will be reversed. The gimbal-joint H may be moved in toward the center of the sway-bar and the shank a placed in the perforations therein provided, by which movement the power of the hand-lever to move and to hold the inner ends of the axle-shaft in desired position will be increased.

The advantages derived from the form of construction and pivoting of the guide-wheels to turn in the axle-frame and on the tread of the wheel on the ground,instead of swinging the ends of the axle forward and back, will be apparent to all persons familiar with the use of such machines,a few of which I will mention. Themachinewillruneasierandmore steadily, the axle-frame holding the wheels always in the desired direction. The wheels are more easily turned in the desired direction, pivoting, as they do, in the axle-frame and on the ground, and, again, the bearing of the wheel is always the same distance from the boiler. Consequently the liability to upset is never increased by the act of turning the machine on its wheels.

Other devices than those shown to move the sway bar, if preferred, may be used, such as a chain running back from each end of the bar to a Wheel or Windlass under the floor-board, a vertical shaft extending up to the operator and having at its end awheel or lever. If the latter, it may be used as atiller, or the bar S may be extended back to a point under the foot-board and provided with a toothed segment and gear-wheel and shaft extending to a point within the reach'of the operator. 7

Having thus fully described thenature and object of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a traction-engine, an axle-supporting frame consisting, essentially, of a beam and girder, a journal-box pivotally secured to the outer ends thereof, and a central support or frame-piece having curved raceways or grooves in the sides thereof, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a traction-engine, the combination of an axle-frame composed of the beam B and girder B, frame-piece D, having raceways a in the sides thereof, a journal-box O at the ends thereof, and an axle-shaft journaled in said box, the inner end of said shaft supported and carried in said raceways, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a traction-engine, the combination of an axle-supportin g frame constructed as herein described, having at its outer ends a journal-box pivotally secured to the end portions of said frame by vertical trunnions extending through the end perforations of said frame -beam and girder, axle shafts supported in said journal -box having guidewheels mounted on the outer ends thereof and rollers on the inner ends thereof, and means for rotating said axles about their pivotal connection with the axle-frame, for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, in a traction-engine, of the axle-frame herein described, a short axle-shaft pivotally secured to the outer end portion thereof, a guide-wheel mounted on the outer end thereof, said wheel having a hub L, having an outwardly-projected flange portion b to support the inner ends of the outside spokes, and an inwardly and upwardly projected flange b to form a hood for the journal-box and a support for the inner ends of the inside spokes, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, in a traction-engine, of the axle-frame having axle-shafts pivoted to the outer ends thereof, a supporting and guiding Wheel secured to said shaft, the tread of said wheel overhung or carried inwardly to a point about central to the journal-box and pivot of said axle-shaft to said frame, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, in a traction-engine, of the axle-frame herein described having axleshafts pivotally secured to the outer end portion thereof, the inner end supported in rollers to travel in a raceway, curved about the pivotal connection of the shaft to the frame, a sway-bar pivotally secured at a point below the boiler of the engine, yokes to embrace said shafts, rods to connect said yokes to said swaybar, and means for vibrating said sway-bar to move the inner ends of the axle-shafts the axle-frame described pivotally secured to r the bottom portion of the boiler to swing transversely thereto, and the braces Z, converging rearwardly and pivotally secured in the hanger K, by which said axle-frame is secured against horizontal vibration, its end portions free to rise and fall to adapt the guide-wheels to the undulation of the ground, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a traction-engine, the combination, with the axle-frame, of an axle-shaft journalboX pivoted therein to swing horizontally on axle-shaft to rotate therein and to swing therewith, a guide-wheel mounted on said shaft, a shield M, and its supporting-frame N, supported on the pivot or trunnion portion of said journal-born to swing with said wheel, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

9,111 a traction-engine, a journal-box having vertical trunnions a, by which said box is pivotally secured to the end portion of the axle-frame, in combination with a horizontally-swinging axle shaft, substantially as described,and for the purpose set forth.

- 10. The combination, in a traction-engine, of the horizontallyswinging axle-shaft E and yokes d of the guide-rods G, gimbal-joint H, sway-bar J, rod Q, and a pendent lever P, having a segment portion (1 a hand-lever R, pivoted centrally to said segment, said lever having a spring-actuated bolt d to engage.

the notches cl in said segment, and a springactuated bolt d to hold said lever in desired adjustment with the rack al for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of April, A. D. 1890.

JOHNSON E. CLARK. iVitnesses:

BURT A. MILLER, W. K. MILLER. 

